I didn't see how the ground was officially listed, but it looked really, really soft. I wondered if maybe he just didn't care for that going. I will be interested to see whether they decide to bring him over for a BC race. And, if so, which one.

The ground was rated 'good to soft,' so that could have been a factor. Interestingly, the Champagne was won by a Scat Daddy colt (Seahenge), just not the really expensive one. I don't think O'Brien has a great track record (pun intended) on dirt. If Mendelssohn keeps under-performing on turf, perhaps his owners might consider sending him over The Pond to someone like Baffert?